A post shared by Gemma Atkinson (@glouiseatkinson) on May 9, 2019 at 10:15am PDT

Alongside the image, she wrote: ‘It dawned on me today the wonderful relationship I had with my grandparents when I was growing up, and then it hit me my dad won’t get to meet his Grandchild.

‘Seems crazy… I blame the pregnancy hormones but today has been a bloody rollercoaster. Fits of laughter to sobbing. Thankfully, I had cookies 😂 🤦🏼♀️🎢’.

Fans were quick to offer messages of comfort to the star and share their own experiences.

Credit: Getty Images

One wrote: ‘My dad was my best friend in the world, to not have him there to walk me down the aisle or hold my son is painful, it really hurts, but I just remember that he would be so incredibly proud and so in love with my boy and it helps me smile through it all 💙’.

Another said: ‘My daughter lost her dad at 13 years of age and both of us share your thoughts 💔 shes 21 now and with every milestone in her life it gets harder to beat.’

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A third said: ‘Lost my dad when I was 8 and had my daughter at 26, the emotions have been worse than ever because I know they’d have been best mates. What I do know though is he’s protecting her and me and in their own way I believe theyve met. Sending tons of love xxxx’.

Gemma announced she was expecting her first child with Gorka Márquez back in February, just a year after confirming the romance.

The pair met in 2017 when Gemma was a Strictly contestant, but the two weren’t actually a dancing duo as she competed alongside Aljaž Skorjanec and Gorka paired up with Alexandra Burke.